Jacques Roux | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1752-08-21)21 August 1752 |
| Died | 10 February 1794(1794-02-10) (aged 41) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Occupation(s) | Priest,revolutionary |
| Known for | Radical revolutionary leader |
| Movement | Enragés |
| Opponents | |
Jacques Roux (French pronunciation:[ʒakʁu]; 21 August 1752 – 10 February 1794) was aradicalRoman CatholicRed priest who took an active role in politics during theFrench Revolution.[1] He skillfully expounded the ideals ofpopular democracy andclassless society to crowds ofParisiansans-culottes,working class wage earners and shopkeepers,radicalizing them into a revolutionary force.[1] He became a leader of apopularfar-left.[2]
In 1791 Roux was elected to theParis Commune. When theFrench First Republic started in 1792, Roux became aligned with thepolitical faction dubbed by their enemies as theEnragés (French for "The Enraged Ones" but also "Madmen").[3] He was considered the most extreme spokesman on the left for the interests of the Parisiansans-culottes.
Roux consistently fought for aneconomically equal society, turning the crowds ofsans-culottes against thebourgeois torpor of theJacobins.[4] He demanded that food be made available to every member of society, and called for the wealthy to be executed should they hoard it.[1] Roux tirelessly voiced the demands of the poor Parisian population to confiscate aristocratic wealth and provide affordable bread.[1]
He became popular enough that, as the split between theGirondins and theMontagnards grew wider, his voice helpedremove the Girondins from theNational Convention in 1793.[5]
In a controversial 1793 address to theNational Convention that's been dubbed theManifesto of the Enragés, Roux demanded the abolition ofprivate property andclass society in the name of the people he represented.[6]
Soon, Roux's incendiary rhetoric was ignitingfood riots and upsetting the balance of power within theParis Commune.Maximilien Robespierre, fearing Roux threatened the dominance of the Jacobin government, presented accusations of him being a foreign spy intentionally trying to disrupt the revolutionary government and theCommittee of Public Safety.[1] During this time, Roux's former friend,Jean-Paul Marat, also turned against him, writing in his newspaper,L'Ami du peuple, that Roux was a false priest that was only interested in religion as long as it provided income.[7] On 7 July 1793 Roux's enemies brought Elizabeth Marguerite Hébert (no relation to revolutionaryJacques Hébert) in for questioning in an attempt to charge Roux with extortion and "misappropriation of charitable funds". Hébert was a recent widow with no means to support herself and, two years earlier, Roux had agreed to raise funds for her and her family. When asked if Roux had an ulterior motive, she replied that she did not believe he did.[5] He wasn't arrested then, but in August 1793, Roux was arrested under the charges that he had withheld funds from both the widow Hébert and another widow,Mlle. Beaurepaire. Roux assured the revolutionary committee of section Gravilliers that he did nothing of the sort and that his enemies were working against him.[5] Roux was released into the custody of two of his friends, where he continued fighting for his ideals. On 5 September 1793 Roux was thrown into prison again.
On 14 January 1794 Roux was informed that his case was going to be tried by theRevolutionary Tribunal. Upon hearing this news, Roux pulled out a knife and stabbed himself several times, but failed to land a fatal blow. Less than a month later, on 10 February 1794, while recovering in prison, Roux stabbed himself again, this time succeeding in killing himself. He was 41.[5]
As the Enragés movement began falling apart,Jacques Hébert's more moderate left-wing faction known as theHébertists tried to win over his former supporters and continue where he had left off.[1]
InPeter Weiss'sMarat/Sade, Roux is portrayed by an asylum patient in theMarquis de Sade's dramatization of Jean-Paul Marat's assassination. The actor's lines come under fire by the asylum directors, who have cut his dialogue. In most productions, the actor portraying Roux is costumed in a straight jacket, which symbolizes the asylum's desire to restrain political radicals such as himself.
Roux was portrayed byAlan Rickman in a monologue written byPeter Barnes for the television shortRevolutionary Witness. In the monologue, Roux performs a sermon in a ruined church the day before he is brought before theRevolutionary Tribunal, where he laments the current direction of therevolution. He argues that the poor, despiteaiding in the revolution, are still being oppressed and dying while the rich are still powerful. He also narrates his life, regaling anecdotes from his youth all the way to the revolution. He believes that, due to hispopulist andprogressive beliefs, he is "too revolutionary for the revolution." As his sermon comes to an end, he promises that he will not defend himself before the Tribunal, but attack his opponents, promising that, should he be found guilty, he will "die like [his] friendMarat, thoughstruck down by a better hand, [his] own." In the last seconds of the monologue, Roux pleads to his listeners to continue fighting, arguing that "the revolution isn't complete."[8][9]
Roux (played byElias Toufexis) is featured in a mission in French Revolution-setAssassin's Creed Unity, in which the player is tasked with assassinating him.
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